You Have to Bring It Back
by War of Glass
Summary: Are you watching closely?  The Prestige  :Oneshot:


You Have to Bring It Back

A Prestige Oneshot

"Welcome, ladies and gentleman…to the grandest show of them all," Angier shouts into the crowd, garnering their attention to the illuminated stage. Angier looks into darkness, but he hears the voices, the murmurs, the whispers. He knows they're out there, and he's always been prepared for it. He's a showman, a performer, not just a magician, but a people's magician. He walks smoothly across the elevated platform. His expensive shoes scuff the already black but still shiny floor. His beautiful assistant keeps a plastered smile on her face, and he peers over every now and again to make sure. This will be his last show, and it will be the greatest. "They call me the greatest magician of all time, they call me perfect, immaculate," He looks to the crowd and smiles innocently, "I just call myself Robert Angier." The darkness roars in laughter, he knows he has them. All of the charm, all of the charisma, it's worked for years. His slick tailcoat wavers behind him as he continues his gait around the stage, using expressions with his voice as if he's been an actor all along, and no one was ever the wiser. No, that wasn't the case. But what was the case was Angier has been a murderer, a thief (but aren't all magicians?), a coward, a liar, and no one was ever the wiser. But isn't it right? Hasn't his inane rage been justified? His wife is dead, and by his account "murdered", but was it true? Was it really by Alfred? Don't accidents happen, especially if you're a magician? No, not when you're Robert Angier, and not when you're Alfred Borden, at least that's how it was supposed to be. Friendships always die when it comes to one-upmanship, and when it comes to brotherhood, obsession for glory destroys it all. He gestures to his assistant, and she keeps her face towards the audience with an awkward, wide smile as she scurries behind the curtain, returning with a wooden cart carrying a cage with two doves trapped inside. He shouts again to the audience he can barely make out, "You all see these two lovely doves in this here cage. But have you ever seen them disappear?" Murmurs in the crowd again, they've probably seen this one before, but it doesn't matter, it's all a setup for better things to come.

He pulls a long, black clothe from his breast pocket, it's velvet and it's as suave as his suit itself. He walks slyly over to the cage, the awkward assistant moving out of the way. He throws the clothe over the cage. The crowd barely sees him pull it away, but they do realize there's nothing inside, and by God it's a beautiful thing. It's a beautiful thing to be fooled, to be tricked, to be amazed, mainly because it proves you still can be. There are things sinister tonight, but it's surely not the doves. Something moves in the crowd, but Angier doesn't see it, no one sees it. The crowd applauds, but Angier does not take his bow. In his eyes, he has not yet deserved it. The assistant and a faceless (a man who does not matter) from backstage, both wheel out a colossus known simply as The Tank. Afterwards, they go and return with a machine never seen before. It's circular, and bars circle around it. It holds the key to his magic. "Now fine ladies and honorable gents, the moment you've all been waiting for. I will be performing a little trick called the New Transported Man. I will step into this machine here, and be transported somewhere else. The next time you see me, I will be inside of this tank of water, from which I promise to emerge…unharmed." Something moves in the crowd, but Angier doesn't see it, no one sees it. "May I have a wonderful volunteer from the crowd come up, please? You must tie my hands behind my back." A ball bounces onto the stage, bouncing and bouncing until making its way under Angier's foot. An overly-bearded man with a hat covering most of his features makes his way to the stage. The free birds do not return to the stage, but someone else does. At every step up to the stage, he removes his beard and hat. Angier nervously looks to the crowd. He chuckles and laughs, as if it's all a part of the trick, the illusion. The truth is that Angier is nervous and angry. Alfred Borden has walked onto the stage. Such a precise, perfectionist showman as Angier fears he has come to sabotage his show, as they have done time and time again to each other. They lock eyes, and years of memories and anguish are relived in such a little stare. The crowd begins to laugh, this has happened before, sabotage, and of course Borden's come to do it again, no doubt.

The showman must save face. "Ladies and gentleman, look who it is, it's the lesser performer. How are you, Borden?"

Borden turns around to the faceless, worthless men behind the curtains, he calls for something but Angier can't hear it over his fast beating heart and the blood pumping in his ears. Another Tank is pulled and pushed from backstage, and Angier internally kicks himself for not noticing and questioning the presence of it earlier. "Tie me, Robert."

"What?" Angier asks, with a hint of malice and confusion, making a twang in his tone.

"I said tie me," Borden repeats, turning around. Angier cautiously steps towards Borden, quickly wrapping the rope over and under his wrists. Borden turns back around and says, "Who's really the better magician, Robert?"

"What?"

Borden smiles, "You always were a broken record, Angier. I said who's really the better magician? Do you want to find out?"

"Why are you here?"

"I'm going in one of those tanks. I'm going to escape it. It's as simple as that. You can watch and be humiliated again, or you can be dunked in the other tank, and try to escape before me."

"Are you mad?"

Borden scoffs, "I'm confident. Have your assistant tie your hands, and I'll have her tie mine."

"I already tied yours."

Borden reveals his free hands, the rope hanging loosely in them. "It was loose."

"I tied that knot as tight as I could."

"I'm a magician, remember?"

Angier addresses the anxious and impatient crowd. "Don't worry, folks. You've all come here for a treat, but it seems you get double the treat. Borden here as proposed a most glorious challenge. We both go into the water tanks, and fight for supremacy, as they say." He walks back over to Borden. "You know, you never told me what knot you tied my wife that night."

"I don't remember."

"You've said that for years, damn it," Angier growls.

"Then doesn't that make it true?"

"I've been saying I'm the better magician for years."

"Exactly."

Angier's assistant walks over to Borden as Angier steps away. "Tie the double knot," He tells her.

"The double knot, are you mad?"

"Why does everyone think I'm mad? I've got nothing to lose, and nothing to live for. Tie…the double…knot."

She does so, her awkward smile faltering.

"Tie the double knot on him too, don't let him see."

"Wha-"

"Don't ask questions."

She scrambles over to Angier, who appears all but nervous. He stops her halfway through to finally take his bow to the audience, maybe he thinks this will be the last time he'll have a chance to. He turns around and stares at Borden, who stares right back. The pressure and tightness of the rope feels more different than usual, but it doesn't matter, it's all a part of the show. The tanks are pushed across from each other, both in full view of the half anticipating, half annoyed audience. Angier and Borden meet in between the two tanks.

"We were friends, Robert."

"You murdered my wife, damn you."

"I told you, it was an accident. Whatever happened that night, it was an act of God. It was no one's fault."

"What God?" Angier snaps, "there are no accidents, Alfred, not when it came to her. Cutter said it was an accident, you said it, I don't believe any of you."

"For years we've been at each other's throats. It's time we settle this feud between us. You won't need to worry about being the better magician anymore, Angier."

"Which knot did you tie, Borden?"

Borden smiles, "I don't remember."

Both men take their places by their respective tanks. They have their ankles tied together and hooks placed on their backs. "Are you watching closely?" Borden shouts over to Angier, who doesn't answer. The hooks hoist the men into the air slowly, only to be lowered into their tanks just as slowly. The locks snap on the tanks and the men fight to escape. Angier has difficulty getting his knot, and his screaming into the water only echoes back into his own ears. The crowd is horrified and amazed; the assistant and faceless men are simply horrified. Something is wrong, something always goes wrong. Borden can see the fear in Angier's eyes; Angier can see the calmness in Borden's. Both men begin to lose air as the assistant quickly closes the curtains. Angier can hear muffled applause through the cover of water, only to hear nothing else minutes from then. They watched closely, and saw nothing. Two of the best magicians in the world failed at the simplest trick, because after those curtains closed, they weren't seen again. And every magician worth their salt know the first rule about making something disappear…you have…to bring…it back.


End file.
